Code of Ethics Paper

Code of Ethics in Nursing is important to follow by so that staff and patients are treated with up most respect and dignity. The definition of Code of Ethics of nursing is a guide for an individual or group to follow in making decisions regarding ethical issues (Health Line Site, 2010). “What is the description of the Code of Ethics for Nurses? ” “What are the ethical principles of the Code of Ethics in Nursing? “How do the grievance procedures work? ” “Is the Code of Ethics of Nursing feasible of enforcing either part of the code or the entire code? ” “Do I have any recommendations for strengthening potential weak areas of the codes as written? ” “What is the description of the Code of Ethics for Nurses? ” Ethics are the principles that guide an individual, group, or profession in conduct. Nurses do make independent decisions regarding patient care; they are still responsible to the profession in how those decisions are made.

Florence Nightingale wrote of specific issues of conduct and moral behavior. The Nightingale pledge that was composed in 1893 by nursing instructor Lystra Gretter includes the vow, “To abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug”, (Health Line, 2010). Nursing has evolved into a very complex professional field over the years. Nurses at the present time are faced with life and death decisions, sometimes on an hourly basis. “What are the ethical principles of the Code of Ethics in Nursing’?

The Code of Ethics of Nursing has nine different provisions to follow. Here is a list of the following provisions of the Code of Ethics of Nursing from the American Nurses Association website:  The nurse, in all professional relationships, practice with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems.  The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group or community. The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient. The nurse is responsible and accountable for individual nursing practice and determines the appropriate delegation of tasks consistent with the nurse’s obligation to provide optimum patient care.  The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to preserve integrity and safety, to maintain competence, and to continue personal and professional growth.

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The nurse participates in establishing, maintaining, and improving health care environments and conditions of employment conducive to the provision of quality health care and consistent with the values of the profession through individual and collective action .The nurse participates in the advancement of the profession through contributions to practice, education, administration, and knowledge development.  The nurse collaborates with other health professionals and public in promoting community, national, and international efforts to meet health needs. . The profession of nursing, as represented by associations and their members, is responsible for articulation nursing values, for maintaining the integrity of the profession and its practice, and for shaping social policy. “How do the grievance procedures work”? How grievances are processed is outlined in the CBA. CBA stands for collective bargaining agreement. The CBA determines how and with whom a grievance must be filed, and the time limits within which the grievance must be filed and advanced to subsequent levels.

Depending on the contract, the grievance is usually initially "filed" in writing. However, some contracts allow for, or require, an informal verbal attempt at resolution before the grievance may be filed in writing. At the initial grievance "step," a meeting is usually held. At this meeting, the aggrieved employee, represented by the union, and the employer, represented by a manager, has an opportunity to present their arguments for and against the grievance to a decision-maker. Who the ecision-maker is at each step is determined by the CBA. If the grievance is upheld, the awarded remedy is implemented by the parties. If the grievance is denied, the grievance may be appealed to the next "step" in the grievance procedure. At each subsequent step of the grievance procedure, the meeting is generally attended by a correspondingly higher level of management. In addition, the employee may initially be represented by a local grievance representative and represented by union staff at later stages of the grievance procedure.

At each step of the grievance process, the grievance meeting also tends to become more formal, with more rules governing the meeting. The number of steps in the grievance procedure is also determined by the CBA. A grievance may be settled at any step. Under most CBA's, the settlement becomes precedent, meaning that the settlement will be used in future grievance meetings to interpret the contract, unless the union and employer agree that the settlement will not serve as precedent.

Most grievance procedures end in final and binding arbitration. This is the final step in the grievance procedure. At this step, an outside neutral third party, called an arbitrator, determines whether to uphold the grievance and what remedy to award, if any at all. The arbitrators' decision and award becomes precedent. If the employer refuses to implement the arbitrator's award, the union may seek court enforcement of the award, or file an unfair labor practice with the National Labor Relations Board.

With the threat of final and binding arbitration, the grievance has proven to be a valuable tool, shielding and enforcing nurses' rights (Johnson, 2006). Is the Code of Ethics of Nursing feasible of enforcing either part of the code or the entire code? ” I think that the Code of Ethics of Nursing is feasible of enforcing either part of the code or the entire code because it is moral and respectable to the staff as well as the patients the nursing staff is in charge of. The code of ethics is like a Bible for nurses to go by to make their jobs easier and appreciable. Do I have any recommendations for strengthening potential weak areas of the codes as written? ” I do not have any recommendations for strengthening potential weak areas of the code as written. The code is well put together and does not miss any areas that should be covered. I feel that it is a well rounded code of ethics for the nursing staff nationally and internationally to follow. The American Nurses Association Code of Ethics is important to follow by so that staff and patients are treated with up most respect and dignity.

The definition of Code of Ethics of nursing is a guide for an individual or group to follow in making decisions regarding ethical issues (Health Line Site, 2010).

References

1. Wilkins, Gayle G. (2002). Code of Ethics for Nurses. Retrieved from http://www. healthline. com on April 07, 2010
2. Unknown. (2010). Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretive Statements. Retrieved from http://www. nursingworld. org. Retrieved on April 06, 2010.
3. Johnson, Alice. (April, 2006). Grievance 101: Understand The Process and Purpose of The Grievance Procedure. Retrieved from http://www. findarticles. com on April 05, 2010.

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